Can Student Loans Ever Be Discharged? Yes, and there’s a new tool to help bankruptcy lawyers deter mine whether clients qualify Contrary to common perception, not all student loans can be wiped out in bankruptcy court. Although the Bankruptcy Code does protect federal loans and some private loans from discharge,…
BIG WOES FOR ZILLO Zillo, the gigantic online real-estate database company, has a gigantic headache, legally speaking. It is currently the target of a class action lawsuit in Illinois. Zillow is the website that allows a person to search for properties for sale–properties located just about anywhere. And Zillow’s cornerstone feature–Zestimate–allows…
CYBER-SECURITY–A VITAL PRECAUTION It is time for businesses to give cyber-crime protection high priority; the sooner the better. The mounting numbers of cyber-attacks on businesses are a serious threat to every sort of commercial enterprise. Cyber intrusions have become really dangerous, sophisticated, and commonplace. Businesses are attacked (whether they know…
Are Threats on Social Media Protected Free Speech? In our information age – the Age of Google, you might say – everybody knows that free speech is protected by the first amendment. And many believe that one can say whatever one wants on social media. THIS IS SIMPLY NOTE TRUE…
2016 Tax Bills Coming Soon: Here’s What You Can Expect The Cook County Clerk recently published 2016 property tax rates. This is the final step in the billing process. Second installment 2016 tax bills will be mailed by the end of June and will be due on August 1, 2017. Here…
DRIVERLESS CARS: THE FUTURE OF PRODUCT LIABILITY LITIGATION? Any business that will contribute to the production of driverless vehicles must give serious thought to the risk of products-liability lawsuits. And that includes suppliers, even of minor parts. We may think of driverless cars as a phenomenon of the future, but that…
Are Employee Non-Compete Agreements Still Valid for Low-Level Employees? Non-compete arguments are staple in every Chicago Business Lawyer’s legal arsenal and a necessary to protect a business under certain circumstances. A non-compete agreement, also known as a non-competition covenant or clause, is an agreement between an employer and an employee…
What is Equity Crowdfunding? Is this the Future of Raising Investment Capital? It seems that while nearly everyone has heard of crowdfunding, the concept of equity crowdfunding is not as well known but is gaining traction. For those Chicago business owners that are new to this developing area, prior to May…
CAUTION! WATCH OUT FOR THESE WAGE-AND-HOUR PITFALLS The U.S. Department of Labor has been cracking down on wage and hour infractions, and it may be time to review your overtime procedures and policies–it is all too easy to violate wage and hour regulations unwittingly. Sometimes DOL complaints seem trivial. We…
How We Operate Our Business is Changing The technological revolution that has enveloped our society has made technology an important part of our lives. The use of computers and information technology has become an integral part of business, and it is doubtful there will ever be a return to traditional methods…